This Week in DVD & Blu-ray is a column that compiles all the latest info regarding new DVD and Blu-ray releases, sales, and exclusive deals from stores including Target, Best Buy and Fry’s.

TRICK ‘R TREAT Shunned by Warner Bros. after two years of sitting on the shelf, Trick ‘r Treat is finally being made available for viewer consumption now that it’s been slapped with the direct-to-video treatment. As much as the film may have deserved a theatrical release, where it very realistically could’ve become a sleeper hit, I feel as though I should harbor more resentment than I actually do. Reason being, I have now been given a reason to care about Halloween. Writer/director Michael Dougherty has given movie buffs everywhere a gift, not just in terms of crafting an excellent film (one that’s assuredly destined for cult classic status), but in granting us the opportunity to surprise the hell out of all of our friends on Halloween night with a trippy little horror flick that they know nothing about. Dougherty strikes a tone here unlike any horror film I’ve seen before, playing on our nostalgia (intentionally or not) by mixing elements of childhood horror favorites like Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps alongside more gory, gooey old-school horror, and then injecting it all with a sadistic, darkly comedic edge that constantly plays on your expectations and reminds you why you should never trust little kids with balloon-shaped heads. I’ve heard reviews describe Trick ‘r Treat as an anthology of different horror tales, a la Creepshow–a fitting comparison given the comic book inspirations in both–but that description may also be misleading. Instead of merely telling each story separately, Dougherty sees fit to find clever and creative ways to interweave each of the stories as they unfold over the course of one Halloween night, making the chronology of the film more akin to, say, Pulp Fiction and Go. It’s this type of ingenuity that puts Trick ‘r Treat in a league all its own, bringing back to the horror genre the one thing that it’s been so sorely lacking outside of Sam Raimi’s efforts: a sense of fun.Blu-ray? Yes.Notable Extras: DVD – A “Trick ’R Treat: Season’s Greetings” feature (with optional commentary by writer/director Michael Dougherty). Blu-ray – Includes everything on the DVD, as well as an audio commentary with the director, additional scenes, a special effects comparison, and another featurette on the legends of Halloween.

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On last night’s SNL, alum and host Tracy Morgan played a fictional off-off-Hollywood producer promoting a kids movie entitled Rocket Dog. Pathologically fluent in showbiz hustle, Morgan’s would-be maven lobbed impossibly straight answers to questions involving the countless doggie (and human) deaths that occurred during production. Nor was it of much concern that his feature film only clocked in at 38-minutes, 10-minutes of which were allotted to a fuzzy “TV playing Bravehart.” Like Dan Akroyd’s Irwin Mainway and his “Bag O’ Glass,” Morgan’s maven is the gross embodiment of American success as 99% cute marketing. The ironic tagline he yelled with Tourette-like consistency: “Houston, we have a dog!”

After the jump is the first one-sheet to Eddie Murphy‘s summer vehicle, Imagine That. The tagline: “What if your daughter’s imagination…was the secret to your success?” Enticing. And yet, the poster fails to explain how this premise leads Murphy’s dad to unwittingly wear his daughter’s colorful tights underneath his mundane business attire. Moreover, his daughter’s more sparkly intimates sneak into his briefcase! The work of an imported magic skull or a job for To Catch a Predator?

During the credits of the 81st Academy Awards, video clips were shown for many of the films that will hit theaters in 2009. You might have turned off the television after Slumdog Millionaire won Best Picture and missed everything. Or maybe you just want to see the awesome Terminator Salvation footage or the first look at Public Enemiess again. If so, don’t worry, we have the whole 3-minute clip embedded after the jump.